Here's a quiz: Which evergreen plant has delicately dissected green foliage, offers up heads of lovely 1-inch mauve flowers nearly year round, is native to California and outperforms its better-known cousins? No shame in not guessing the delicate but tough Verbena lilacina 'De la Mina.'

"Verbena who?" might be a common response, but this species of verbena is slowly capturing more gardeners' attention, and converts will tell you why. Let's start with using a word usually not associated with the genus verbena (other than V. bonariensis) - tough.

Hybrid cultivars are famous for being finicky, hard to keep looking good and not very long lasting. V. lilacina has that covered, forming a 2- to 3-foot-high and 4- to 5-foot-wide sub-shrub that will thrive in a variety of soils. Once settled in, this native of Mexico's Cedros Island will offer up charming flower heads, lighter purple for V. lilacina and darker for the 'De la Mina' variety, from early spring to late fall. These verbenas have a lightly spicy fragrance and are a popular destination for butterflies - why aren't you out the door and heading for your local nursery right now?

With its attractive mounding habit, deeply divided green leaves and almost nonstop flowers that float 8 inches above the foliage, lilac verbena would be a welcome addition to any garden. It can be used as a walkway border, as a bank cover, even as an addition to a butterfly garden. It combines well with sages, mints and buckwheats and would be at home as a focal point in a bay-friendly garden. With its showy flowers, this verbena even looks great in large decorative pots.

Did you know?

We owe this plant's discovery to horticulturist Carol Bornstein, who collected this variety on Cedros Island, off the west coast of Baja California. Its natural habitat includes sandy washes, canyons, slopes, cliffs and hillsides. It attracts bees and hummingbirds as well as butterflies.

Cultivation

Grow in full to partial sun in well-drained, poor to average soils. Lilac verbena is a tough plant and will tolerate less-than-ideal conditions as long as it's not overwatered. It can be propagated by taking softwood cuttings. Hardy to 20 degrees.

Pests & diseases

Young plants can be eaten by slugs and snails. Powdery mildew may be a problem, especially if the plant is overwatered or is weakened. Generally though, like its species mate V. bonariensis, Lilac verbena is very hardy.

Availability

Available spring through fall from a variety of nurseries, including California Flora (calfloranursery.com) and Oakland's Grand Lake Ace Garden Center. Plants can be ordered from Annie's Annuals & Perennials (anniesannuals.com) and Plant Safari (plantsafari.com).